With the crowd as motivation

Director Phanindra Narsetti has made news each time his film has been released — whether it’s the 2012 film Backspace, which garnered attention for being shot, edited and dubbed entirely on an iPhone 4S or his feature film Madhuram, which is one of the most popular short films with close to three million views on YouTube.

Now, his latest film Manu is being talked about a great deal ever since it was announced. Within 24 hours, nearly 111 people had come forward to crowdfund the film, which is currently in the making. In fact, he has named the film’s production as the ‘The Crowd’ for the same reason. The response to the two teasers released so far, has also been quite phenomenal.

Phanindra, a B.Pharm graduate, who eventually realised his dream of filmmaking, talks about it all happened. “Films have been everything for me since my growing years — even in college, where I laid the foundation into the world of films,” he says.

However, one wonders why Phanindra didn’t bank on the great response to Madhuram, and approach a well-known producer. “Not that I didn’t. It’s just that too much tailoring happens in the process. I didn’t want that,” he says, adding that associating with the crowd has been a great experience. “Several people had expressed their wish to associate with me. And then I thought of bringing all of them together,” he says. But didn’t he think of how too many cooks could spoil the broth? “Of course, I did. It was one of my apprehensions. But once the process began, I realised that we are all just hardwired to negativity! Not one of the investors has asked a single question since I began work,” says Phanindra, who is also the film’s editor.

And it’s that trust they have in him that pushes him to work harder. “We are a crew of 20 people and no one is taking remuneration. The simple fact that the crowd believes in you is a boost. Subconsciously, we know we shouldn’t give up, at least for them,” says Phanindra.

We ask him what his hopes with Manu are, and on a parting note, Phanindra adds, “We don’t have any big faces. All we have is the trust of the crowd and the interest of the people. Right now, all the concentration is on making the film. Luckily, I have good contacts in the industry and when we finally release the film, I will seek their guidance.”